Description
This residence is one of the few existing houses of the time belonging to the pre-partition era (before1947), and as such approximately 70 years old. It is located at Dada Bhai Narugee Road near Quaid’s mausoleum. This house represents a very distinct residential architectural style of Karachi during the pre- partition period. In the first phase ICON explicitly documented the existing residence, architecturally and photographically and prepared As -built drawings of the structure; since there were no drawings available. The client initially wanted to renovate the house, but ICON advised him to invest in a complete restoration. Being aware of Karachi’s’ various preservation projects, Mr. Saqib Malik- a well-educated media person and director-agreed. The renovation and preservation of this historic house was challenging, since it entailed very careful execution in order to protect architectural elements that were very well preserved, like the flooring, doors and
windows.Another challenge regarding this restoration project was the fact that Mr. Saqib Malik intends to use this house to film his first movie (which is based on the pre-partition era) and later for his private residence. Therefore, certain architectural elements, details and colors were accentuated to complement his vision through the camera. This project is thus a very unique case of adaptive re-use. Though the approach was of minimal intervention yet certain new additions like an internal spiral staircase had to be added to suit the life style of the client. Other new constructions like the boundary wall and main gate take inspiration from the language of the house and motifs, and incorporated into the design to create a unified whole. The structure constructed at the back of the house over a period of time was demolished to create an open courtyard.